History
2018 In the beginning……
Jocelyn Sciortino-Shades had a vision of putting together a gifted group of musicians from the Tooele Valley and taking them on tour. She coached a cross country team at her school for 2 years to raise the needed funds and in the fall of 2019, she met up with Cami Shaskin, Julie Embley, and a few others to recruit young musicians into the new symphony.
2019
Rehearsals and concerts were hosted at Excelsior Academy in Erda, where most of the musicians attended as middle school students and had been personally invited to audition. Their first concert was a gift to the veterans of the community, which proved to the musicians that they had the potential to do much more.
Next came the successful Christmas Concert of 2019, which prompted an ambitious program featuring concertos with accomplished soloists for the Masterworks Concert of 2020. Just a few weeks before the concert, Covid-19 became a threat to our audience and members so the TVYS program was put on hold.
2020
The many months of isolation and missed rehearsals (caused by the virus) not only interrupted the crucial beginnings of the TVYS youth program, but the loss of momentum that caused a dark cloud to creep into many hearts. One student put out a call begging for rehearsals to resume in the summer of 2020. Daily infection rates were studied, tracked and analyzed. Research from Colorado State University had predicted types of transmission in music ensembles and it was determined that the symphony’s best chance of safety for rehearsals would require many precautions.
Joyful rehearsals resumed for several weeks at the end of the summer, but as the next school year began, the rates of infection continued to climb and the symphony closed down again. No members had become infected but the practicalities of probable exposure crippled chances of performances.
2021
Finally, in January of 2021, it was determined that with extreme precautions the symphony could resume rehearsals. An optimistic goal was set that the group would be able to tour during the summer of 2021 and that funds could be raised for a trip to Southern Utah. Students occasionally had to self isolate, but rehearsals continued through May. A vaccine was developed by several companies and conditions improved enough by the end of May to enable a summer camp fundraiser for the tour. 82 new students were introduced to instruments during the camp fundraiser and all TVYS members participated in raising the funds for the tour.
The symphony’s first tour was to Southern Utah. More details about the tour can be found here.
Summer of 2021 the Tooele Valley Youth Symphony became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and gained momentum with the addition of a board of directors and additional musical specialists. The Tooele Valley Youth Symphony continues to progress and seeks to bring funding to Tooele Valley in the quest for building a fine arts center for the valley.
Mission
The Tooele Valley Youth Symphony provides exemplary training in the musical arts and offers performance opportunities to young musicians between the ages of 11-18 residing in the Tooele Valley.
Goals
- Students receive intensive instruction, provided by specialists and guest clinicians, in preparation of symphonic music that is currently unavailable to most families outside of Salt Lake and Utah counties.
- Musicians perform regularly at a variety of venues that serve the Tooele Valley and surrounding areas.
- The Tooele Valley Youth Symphony is the leading youth music program in Tooele Valley and it’s high caliber performances are sought to exceed those provided by other musical groups.